Backward step over skips (David Cole)

Oh why, oh why, do we, the Shetland public, always berate and moan about the decisions made by our overworked and underpaid councillors?

We should be pleased that our legally elected officers are prepared to make tough decisions when necessary. We voted them in to act on our behalf so should we not take some responsibility?

However, I must totally agree with John Scholtz’s letter on 15th February. To remove the rubbish skip service is an absolute folly.

He is quite right when he says more than 100 windmills will cause a lot less polution than piles of dicarded waste left all around contaminating our beautiful island. Yet again the country folk are to be penalised; of course us Lerwickians will have the waste disposal unit on our doorstep so we are alright.

Let us not return to the dark old days when all the country folk could do was to heave their waste “over the banks”. Polluting not only the beaches but also the sea.

When I used to visit Shetland many years ago it was very disappointing to see piles of rusting metal disfiguring our majestic coastline. Now that I have married and lived in Shetland for more than 40 years I have been very proud of the how these islands have been nurtured and cared for so that we can be proud to show them to the thousands of visitors that journey here.

This decision by our council is without doubt a backward step. It takes very little imagination to envisage the unnessary damage it will cause. The SIC should change this cause of action. Remember, only the strong and just have courage to change direction.

6 comments

Nonsense. If ‘country fok’ are so ignorant as to litter their environment, peety aboot dem, but I ken most are responsible, and will find this attitude reprehensible. Enough of the artificial toon v country whining please, as the Lerwick dump is only on the doorstep for folk who have transport, and a large part of the toon population doesn’t. Toon fok, like country fok, will be able to get stuff picked up fae their door, which is a big convenience. I understand it will only cost £10 a load for those on benefits, so it is a great deal.

Love the phrase ACJ. Thing is in the country we have to do it all for ourselves – raise money to keep venues (halls) open, take our own rubbish to the dump esp if we want to recycle, raise money to keep shops open, grit our own peerie bits of road, save all our schools – shame Lerwick doesnt get to deal with these character building activities.

When I started to read David’s (Cole) letter, I believed that he was being ironic, but then realised that he meant it. Not everyone would agree with him.

And when he says that ‘many years ago it was very disappointing to see piles of rusting metal disfiguring our majestic coastline’, I think that he is very naive to think that the rusting remains of over 100 defunct, rusting and environmentally harmful giant wind turbines will not damage our beautiful islands. And who can believe that the sight of such blots on the landscape will attract any visitors other than those who wish to see and record the evidence of a very bad idea.

Even the annual ‘redd up’ won’t help here.

We have seen over the years the difference the provision of skips to rural areas has made to our smaller communities; residents of remote areas who once had little choice but to ‘bell hit ower da banks’ now should take credit for clearing rubbish and for making huge improvements made to their environments, their neighb

Can anyone come up with anything positive that either this Council or the last Council has done, I can only think of or see the negative decisions they have or are going to take, for instance, Shutting Schools, public toilets OAP Lunch clubs, giving millions to the Arts to keep Mareel afloat, Caravan Site, Skips, threatening the Museum closure, and more, Mr David Cole states (quote We vote them in to act on our behave) In my experience the Councillors for the Lerwick South Ward do not give a hoot for there Constituents, Ask for a visit by a Councillors in a time of need the answer is no, possible after consulting there little red book, surely a visiting to there constituents is part of there job description.